Performance Anxiety

This isn’t exactly a Christmas episode, although it certainly leans heavily into the season. That’s because my guest today is an 80’s icon who has released a Christmas song. Welcome Limahl to the podcast. You may remember him from the 80’s band Kajagoogoo, and the track playing underneath all this intro stuff. Or you might remember him from the international #1 hit The Neverending Story from the movie of the same name. Limahl’s story is fascinating. He got into music as a kid and even released a Christmas single in 1980! He tells me how he and the band Art Nouveau found each other and became Kajagoogoo. We even learn how the band name came about. Limahl tells the story of meeting Nick Rhodes from Duran Duran and how he got involved in the band’s debut and how he (Limahl, not Nick) was fired at the height of their popularity. He didn’t let that keep him down. He tells the story of The Neverending Story and how it was #1 in 17 countries! We’re in a time crunch with this episode, but we do manage to discuss his recent cover of America’s A Horse With No Name and his holiday single, One Wish For Christmas, which has it’s own great, possibly neverending, story. Go to limahl.com for more information and links to his socials (try limahloffcial on your favorite platforms). Go listen to, stream, and buy One Wish For Christmas. It’ll definitely get you in the holiday spirit. Check us out @PerformanceAnx. Merch is at performanceanx.threadless.com (great holiday gifts). Or just send money to ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. I’ll leave the Too Shy jokes to the man, himself…Limahl on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back, Conan Neutron! Conan’s got a new Secret Friends album out called The Way Of The Neutron. The process and circumstances Conan went through creating this album are the inspiration for this episode.It’s all about integrity and perseverance…and a little bit of artisanal sand. But Conan and I thought that maybe, somewhere out there, one listener of this podcast could use a little bit of encouragement. Perhaps knowing that you’re not alone in feeling frustrated about the work you’re doing, might be helpful to someone. So here we are, me and Conan Neutron, talking about how staying the course can pay off, eventually. You won’t know how. It may not be exactly what you’re thinking at the moment. But keep creating because you’ll never know if you quit doing it. You create your own definition of success. Check out Conan Neutron on socials. Listen to and purchase The Way Of The Neutron. Check us out, too @PerformanceAnx. Get merch at performanceanx.threadless.com. Send money to ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. And I hope this episode is as helpful as it is fun. Maybe more. Right here on the Pantheon Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guest is a challenge. But I don’t mean that in a negative way.Welcome Arwen Lewis to the podcast. She’s a musician and a podcaster. And this show starts off almost like it’s duelling interviews. And before I go any further, I need to thank Astrid Young for the introduction. Arwen has quite the family tree. Her dad is Peter Lewis of Moby Grape. But going back farther, her grandfather founded the Armed Forces Radio Network. And what’s more, her grandmother was legendary actress/entertainer Loretta Young! Arwen grew up with entertainment in her blood. But she wasn’t immediately drawn to music as her calling. She talks about what she did before starting her music career and when that finally did become evident. Her first endeavor is a collection of Moby Grape songs, reimagined for her by her dad and John DeNicola. She talks about how she puts her own spin on covers, the influence of astronomy (aided by another mutual friend, Jason Achilles), and how she became the booking manager at Lost Chord Guitars. We also geek out on how we both got into podcasting. She’s got a great EP out and a new single. We wrap everything up discussing new projects and critiquing fast food restaurants. Give her a follow @arwenlewis on socials. Her website is https://arwenlewismusic.com/. Check out our socials @PerformanceAnx. Our stuff is available at performanceanx.threadless.com. Or you can throw money at us at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Now get ready for a fun, casual chat with Arwen Lewis on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guest is plural. I’m fortunate to be joined by the entire band The Problem With Kids Today just before they hit the stage. Tate, Silas, and Reena talk about the music that inspired them, some early band experiences, and how the band came together. Tate tells me about their unusual name, their less unusual previous band name, and gelling as a band because of COVID. These guys are self-described goofballs who have a lot of fun with their music. They’ve got a new album out called Take It! It’s an energetic blast of crazy fun punk rock with a few left turns sprinkled in. Make sure you check it out on streaming platforms. If you’re like me and need physical copies, check out Bandcamp. Give them a follow on Instagram @theproblemwithkidstoday. Follow us @PerformanceAnx on socials. Get our merch at performanceanx.threadless.com. Send coffee money through ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. And you can still get a copy of the Spinal Tap tribute album with 35 Spinal Tap covers at teencanceramerica.org . Click the shop button and it’ll be right there. Now prepare for a high energy talk with Tate, Silas, & Reena of The Problem With Kids Today on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week’s guest is very grounded. That could be because he’s British. Or it could be because his career spans several decades. Welcome the singer and guitarist for Kula Shaker, Crispian Mills. This episode is so interesting. Crispian talks about growing up in a family rooted in entertainment. He started playing gigs in pubs at a pretty young age. In fact, his first gig was with Chris Thompson of Manfred Mann’s Earth Band. But success wasn’t instant. He reveals how one of his earliest pub gigs didn’t go over so well.  He played with friend and former podcast guest Lora Logic in the reformed version of X-Ray Spex. And when you give it a listen, you can tell it’s him. Crispian talks about forming Kula Shaker and why he became the singer. I learn the truth about Cricklewood, the wild success of the band’s debut album, K, and how it affected the band. It probably didn’t help that they headlined Glastonbury twice in one weekend. It was due to Neil Young’s finger injury, but it still means that Sting opened for Kula Shaker once. The band broke up and reformed. Crispian talks about life during the gap and how the band reformed. They’ve been expanding their sound ever since and have just recently released one of their best tracks ever. Look for a new album soon. Follow them @kulashakerofficial on Instagram. Check out their new music at kulashaker.co.uk, on Spotify or wherever you get new music. Look for tour dates!  Follow us @performanceanx on socials. Grab our merch at performanceanx.threadless.com. Send us coffee funds at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. And now get ready to have your chakras blown away by Crispian Mills of Kula Shaker on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices